Myles Garrett​​ didn’t practice Wednesday, but Hue Jackson hinted that Garrett could return to practice and could play Sunday against the Bengals even if it’s in a limited role.

Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick, has yet to make his NFL debut due to a high-ankle sprain. Garrett suffered the injury three weeks ago Wednesday, so it’s not a total surprise that he remains out of practice. Last week he was spotted walking without a protective boot and jogging adjacent to the practice field, which led to optimism that he’d be ready for practice this week.

There still seems to be some optimism for Garrett to play this week. Jackson said that Garrett is “close” and that there’s “a chance” he’ll be in uniform for practice Thursday.

“He just needs to practice,” Jackson said. “If he is able to play, we might not play him the whole game. We will see how that unfolds if he is able to go. We will find out more as we go through the week.”

The struggling Browns would love to have Garrett in the lineup against the Bengals, whose remade offensive line has been shuffled throughout the first three games. Veteran Andre Smith finished last week’s game at left tackle.

If Garrett does practice Thursday, the Browns could wait until the weekend to gauge his conditioning level and the team medical staff’s opinion on how his ankle responds to football activity before making a decision on his game status.

The defense figures to be shorthanded for a second consecutive week even if Garrett can play. Jamie Collins remains in concussion protocol and was not at practice Wednesday. If Collins isn’t cleared in time to practice Thursday, he’ll likely miss his second game in a row. Joining Garrett on the exercise bikes were Kenny Britt, Sammie Coates and Randall Telfer. Coates missed the game last week with a hamstring injury. Telfer, who’s listed as the starting tight end on the unofficial depth chart, suffered a knee injury last week during the game.

Jackson said Britt, who was listed as having a knee injury, will practice this week, a sign that he’ll be in the starting lineup Sunday. The Browns listed Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson and Emmanuel Ogbah as limited practice participants Wednesday, all with shoulder injuries. Joe Thomas gets every Wednesday off.

— Reported from Berea

Photo credit: Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

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Zac Jackson is a Browns writer for The Athletic Cleveland. He is also the host of the 'A to Z' podcast alongside Andre Knott. Previously, Zac covered the Browns for Fox Sports Ohio and worked for Pro Football Talk. Follow Zac on Twitter @AkronJackson.